Love Among Friends
by CrazyHorseNinja
Summary: When a mission goes wrong and two ninjas' lives are on the line, can hidden feelings finally reveal themselves? Can the two be saved? Will they ever admit their feelings for each other? Violent content, language, possibly some sexual references.
1. Chapter 1

Love Among Friends

Tenten sat down, panting. She had been training with Neji and Lee all morning and decided to take a break.

"Hey, guys," she called. "Let's rest a little. We've been working really hard."

The boys nodded and sat down with Tenten to eat lunch.

"How much longer do you think he'll make us train," Neji asked, "before he realizes we can make it on our own?"

"Gai-Sensei wants us to be ready for anything!" Lee cheered. Neji covered his ears and glared at his teammate.

"On another note…" He leaned over to Lee's ear. "WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO DAMN LOUD?!?"

Tenten giggled quietly. She started eating.

------

That night, Tenten was walking down the street, looking in shop windows for any new weapons she might like.

"Psst… Hey…"

Tenten looked behind her. A shadowy man was looking right at her, smiling.

"What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here so late?" He slowly approached the girl. Tenten backed away. "Oh, now don't be like that, Sweetie…" He quickly grabbed Tenten's wrists in one hand and held a knife to her throat. "I'm sure we can settle our differences…"

"Tenten!" Neji kicked the man in the face and grabbed his teammate's hand gently. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine Neji. What are you doing out here?"

"I felt something wrong. When he pulled that knife on you I knew he wasn't trying to help you." He let go of Tenten and looked at the man. "Leave my friend alone."

The man rushed toward Neji.

_"One more step… And you're dead…"_

Elysian held a kunai to the man's forehead while she stood behind him. Her eyes glowed red with anger and rage. Her sharp fangs were ready to rip out the man's throat.

"Is everything okay, Neji? You don't want to mess with him. Even you can't beat him so easily. He's an escaped convict I was sent to recover."

Neji stared in shock at the girl. Elysian was ready to kill.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not polite to stare?" Elysian knocked the convict out and swung him over her shoulder. "You should be grateful. I saved your life." She turned and calmly walked into the shadows without another word.

Tenten looked at Neji. "Thanks for helping me. He caught me by surprise."

Neji snapped back to reality. "Anyone else would've done the same. Come on. I'll walk you home."

**Ely: Hmmm… I thought I heard Tenten's heart pound when Neji took her hand…**

**Tenten: It did not!**

**Ely: Are you sure about that, Chika?**

**Tenten: …**

**Ely: Well, anyways, keep in touch. We'll see how far this, quote-end quote, "friendship" goes.**


	2. Chapter 2

Love Among Friends

Neji looked around the training hollow. He was alone.

_Am I really the first one here? Hm… I wonder how many birds there are…_

He activated his Byakugan and carefully searched the surrounding area.

_I only see one here today… They usually- Wait, that's an eagle! Of course it's alone! They're solitary hunters… This one must've staked out this part of the forest as his personal territory…_

The eagle flew off. Neji deactivated his Byakugan. He sat down to wait for Lee and Tenten.

_What would have happened if I wasn't there last night? Would Elysian have saved her? Would he have done something horrible to Tenten? I guess I'll never know…_

It was around that time that Lee and Tenten arrived. When Neji saw Tenten he was relieved to see the same smile on her face she always seemed to have.

"Gai-Sensei said we can have the day off if we want," Lee said.

Neji sighed, glad he wouldn't have to train for once. "It's about time." He sat down and leaned back against a tree, closing his eyes. "Finally…"

Tenten smiled and quietly sat dawn beside Neji, closing her eyes as well. Lee went deeper into the forest to train, even though he didn't have to.

Tenten breathed deeply, inhaling the smells of the forest. She opened one eye a little and looked at Neji. His eyes were still closed. Tenten giggled.

"What now?" Neji asked calmly without opening his eyes.

"You look so peaceful, relaxing like that."

"Hn…"

"I… I want to thank you again for saving me last night."

Neji opened his eyes and blinked. "I told you, anyone else would've done the same for anyone in your position."

"No, only you would. Only you would attack for the reason you did. Only you would hold my hand as you walked me home."

"Hn…" Neji closed his eyes again.

"Are you at least gonna look at me?" Tenten yelled.

"I don't have to. I know you're there."

Tenten growled and looked away. "You can be such an ass sometimes!"

"Hn…"

"You never smile, never really talk to me, never even look at the person talking to you! You're such a jerk!"

"Hn…"

"Is that all you're gonna do? Just grunt at everything I say?"

Neji didn't reply. He didn't show it, but Tenten's words cut him to the core.

"Are you always such a loser?"

"Are you always such a nosey bitch?" Neji asked. "You show up here and start asking me questions I don't know the answer to. I don't know how not to be who and what I am. I'm me because I was fated to be such a person. There's nothing that can change a person."

"Yes there is Neji. You just have to believe in yourself."

**Ely: Well, I'm ending it right there. (God, I hope wolf princess julie reads this and finally talks to me again!) Anyways, feel free to rate and comment on any of my stories. Power to the tomboy14 Fanclub!**


	3. Chapter 3

Love Among Friends

Three days passed since Neji and Tenten's argument and they hadn't spoken to each other since. The two of them were on a mission because Lee overworked himself as usual and wound up in the hospital.

It was raining and the ground was muddy and slick. Lightning cut through the sky and thunder roared in the clouds. Neji and Tenten were soaked to the bone and freezing cold, but still they ran to complete their mission. They were tracking a rogue ninja who had killed a member of the ANBU Black Ops without getting a scratch.

Already the two had been following the rogue for two days and were slowly catching up to him. The rain had washed away most of his footprints, but Neji was able to follow his path with his Byakugan. Two days of nonstop running were beginning to take a toll on the ninjas. Their muscles ached and they were exhausted. That combined with the cold rain quickly wore them out.

Tenten felt like she would collapse when she saw the rogue not far off. He was looking at them with a wicked smile.

"So, you're the ones Tsunade sent to avenge the death of that pathetic man? Ha! Just look at you! You're so tired you probably won't even be able to scream when you die! I thought for sure Lady Hokage knew better than to send mere children!"

"We are not children!" Tenten yelled. She jumped into the air and threw a string of kunai at him. None of them hit. "No way! He dodged them all?" She landed with a grunt and glared at the rogue.

Neji calmly looked at his target. _Male, 6'4'', about 235 pounds…_ "… Not good odds." He activated his Byakugan and waited for an opportunity to strike. It was a big mistake for the young Hyuuga. Seizing his chance, the rogue sent a burst of Chakra into the ground, splitting the earth beneath Neji's feet. The Hyuuga grabbed onto the edge of the fissure and pulled himself out. He gasped for breath.

A shuriken whizzed past the rogue's head. He looked at Tenten ominously. "Did Tsunade tell you that I didn't even get a scratch while I fought the man, or did she fail to mention that?" He pulled out his own shuriken and threw it at Tenten. It struck her in the right side of her chest.

Tenten coughed and spat out blood. "You're gonna pay for that!" She drew her katana and ran at him, yelling in rage. The rogue grabbed Tenten's head and lifted her off the ground. He stared into the girl's eyes.

"You know, you're kind of pretty."

Neji heard this and turned to face the rogue. "Now I'm pissed!" Fire danced in his white eyes. _"You take your filthy hands off my teammate right now!"_ Neji rushed at the rogue and spun, kicking the man in the gut.

The rogue spat blood in Neji's face. "You got lucky. Now, how should I dispose of your pretty little friend here? I know." He yelled and slammed Tenten into the ground. Neji's eyes widened in horror. The rogue slashed Neji's chest with a kunai. "Now that she's out of the way, I'll kill you!" He slashed Neji again and again. Neji didn't make a sound. He just glared at the rogue. "Dammit boy! Why won't you die?"

"Because…" Neji looked at Tenten. Tears rolled down his cheeks. "Because I have to get Tenten home safely!" Neji slammed his fists into the rogue's chest, feeling the ribs break. "She needs help! And I'm the only one who can help her!" He rammed his head into the rogue's jaw, shattering the bones. He picked up Tenten's katana and drove it through the rogue's skull. Blood sprayed in his face as the light faded from the rogue's eyes. Neji withdrew the blade and hacked off the man's head. He impaled it on the sword and picked up Tenten carefully in his arms.

Tears splashed onto Tenten's cheek as Neji carried her back to the village.

**Ely: DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN! I can make Neji pissed as Hell!**

**Neji: I'm still pissed as Hell!**

**Ely: (points at Neji) Oh $h;t!**


	4. Chapter 4

Love Among Friends

Neji limped through the village gates and fell. Tenten rolled on the ground a few feet from him.

"T-Ten… ten…" Neji blacked out.

When he came to he was in a hospital bed. His torso was wrapped in bloodstained bandages. He heard people talking. He wanted to see who they were, but he couldn't open his eyes. He listened to the conversation but couldn't understand the words. They were all muffled and garbled together. He listened to people talk for a few minutes before he blacked out again.

Meanwhile, Julie was stitching up Tenten's wounds and bandaging. She constantly monitored the girl's vitals on the many machines connected to the Kunoichi. Julie sighed.

"You've been through a lot, huh? You were stabbed, exhausted, and tossed around like a ragdoll. Well, at least you're still alive in there somewhere… I just hope we can find you before someone says it's time to pull the plug…"

She looked at Sakura. "Well, are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna tell me about Neji's condition?"

Sakura snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry. Just seeing my friend like this is a bit of a shock to me. Um, Hinata's taking care of Neji's wounds as we speak. The cuts are too shredded for suturing right away, so he's bandaged to stop the bleeding. Uh, we've found donor blood. Hinata volunteered. They're the same blood type, so there's nothing to worry about there. Um, the first transfusion went well, and he's at no risk of infection."

Julie sighed again. "Whew. That's a relief. Okay, I need some AB blood stat. And I need a lot of it. She hasn't lost enough blood to be at much risk, but she has massive internal hemorrhaging, so we're gonna have to operate soon. Let Gai-san and Lee-san know. They need to know about this."

Sakura nodded. "Immediately." She left to inform Gai and Lee.

Back in Neji's room, Hinata was busy with another transfusion.

"Do you have to be so reckless?" she whispered to her cousin. "Do you have to put your life in danger so much? Father always said you were a rebel, but I didn't expect this much. No one did…" She withdrew the needle and applied pressure to the small hole in Neji's left arm. "I never thought I'd be so willing to save someone who once tried to kill me. I guess it's because I've been there too. I know this feeling. You feel hopeless, don't you, Onii-san? You just want to die. Just hang in there…"

Tsunade opened the door quietly. "He's too weak to respond to anything except the blood transfusions. All we can do now is hope for the best."

Tears rolled down Hinata's cheeks. "I know. But I think there's a part of him in there that can hear me and understand what I'm saying. He always had a habit of understanding almost anything. He's trying to get through to us. I feel it in my heart."

Tsunade gently placed a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "I understand what you're going through. There's always a part of them that has a will to live. I feel it too." The Hokage silently walked out of the room and closed the door.

**Ely: Keep rooting for 'im, Hina! What do you think? Will Neji live, will Tenten die? And when will Majesty show up? Find out in the next installment of Love Among Friends! See ya there!**


	5. Chapter 5

Love Among Friends

Neji groaned. Pain ripped through his body like a bullet. Beads of sweat rolled from his brow. He felt like he was on fire.

"…It… really… hurts…"

"Shh, now," Elysian whispered tenderly. "You were having a nightmare. You've been sleeping for almost four days."

"… Tenten…"

"She's improving. She hasn't woken up yet, but she's still holding on for you." Elysian slowly took Neji's hand. "You know I care for you as a brother. You know Tenten is like a sister to me. The doctors are doing everything they can to help you. You must believe me when I say that Julie and the others are using all their strength to get you two back on your feet."

"… Tenten… She's… still alive…"

"Yes, Neji, and you are too. As long as you believe in Tenten, she'll continue to heal. Rest now. You need your strength. Try getting some more sleep."

"… Tell her… I'm… sorry…"

Elysian nodded. "I will. Now, get some sleep." Elysian let go of Neji's hand and quietly walked into the hall. She closed the door behind her and stood there for a while. Regret pierced her heart turned her stomach. She sobbed quietly, no tears coming from her eyes.

"Dammit," she whispered to herself. "Dammit, why can't I cry? Why aren't my eyes spilling? The tears won't come no matter _what_ I do." She took a deep breath to calm herself before walking to Tenten's room. Majesty was sitting by the bed, looking quietly at her friend. Elysian sat next to Majesty. "Status report."

Majesty shook her head. "Nothing new. She hasn't moved and her wounds aren't healing. There's almost no activity going on in her brain. We may lose her."

Elysian understood. She leaned close to Tenten's ear. "Tenten, I spoke to Neji today," she whispered. "He wants you to know something. He's sorry. He needs you to hear that. He's sorry for everything. He wants you to forgive him. Tenten, please hold on a little longer. He needs you to know."

"Ely, it's no good. Tsunade said that if she doesn't improve by the end of the week they'll have to pull the plug on her." Tears spilled down Majesty's cheeks. "We only have three days! There must be something we can do! Consult the spirits! Make a deal with a Shinigami! I don't care! She's our…"

"Sister," Elysian finished. "I know, Maj. I know. I'll see what the spirits tell me." She turned lo leave. She stopped in the doorway. "You should talk to Julie. For some reason she wants nothing to do with me. She doesn't answer any of my messages and won't talk to me when I see her." She left the room in despair.

Majesty looked sadly after Elysian. "Oh, Tenten, what should I do? You're so good at bringing friends back together and ending arguments peacefully. If you can hear me, please give me a sign. Should I tell Jul to talk to Ely or should I let them figure it out on their own?" She looked at the brainwave monitor. There was a tiny increase in brain activity that made Majesty smile. "You're gonna make it!"

**Ely: Seriously, I think Julie's mad at me… She hasn't talked to me in maybe two months as of October… Julie, please answer me! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! Anyways, keep reading and please review, and Julie, if you're reading this, call me!**


	6. Chapter 6

Love Among Friends

"Lady Tsunade, you have to believe me!" Majesty yelled as she clung to the Hokage's ankle. "Please, just give her one more day! I beg of you! Please!" She thought quickly. "Would you do this if it was Don or your brother?"

Tsunade stopped walking. "You know better than to use them as an excuse!"

Majesty sobbed. "Please, I don't want to lose another friend! I don't want to go through that again!"

"You're still hung up over Jinzo, aren't you?"

"He was my ANBU partner! Of course I'm still hung up over him! He died saving me from that rogue bastard Neji and Tenten killed! I don't want to lose either one of them!"

"Kill me instead!" Elysian roared. Her ten Chakra Tails lashed the air. "If anyone's going to die, it should be me! I should've said no when Neji accepted the mission! I should've been there to protect them! I should've been the one to die! It should've been me! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN ME!" Elysian fell to her knees, shaking with dry sobs. "It should've been me…"

"… You're right…" Tsunade said. "It _should_ have been you." She stared hard at the girl sobbing in front of her. "You've caused me nothing but trouble from the moment I arrived in this village." She placed a hand on Elysian's shoulder and looked the girl in the eye. "But it's _not_ you, is it? Maybe it should've been, but it's not. It's Neji and Tenten now. Your time will come. Her time is now."

"NO!" Elysian slammed her fist into the floor, creating a loud shockwave that caused Tsunade to recoil. "The spirits don't lie, Tsunade. They told me that Tenten will live. She's still in there somewhere. Give her one more day. If you don't, I will personally make the rest of your life unbearably miserable…" Dark shadows loomed behind Elysian, their blackness swallowing all light. "You know I have the power to back up my threats…" She snapped her fingers and the shadows vanished.

Tsunade stood up. "One more day. That's all I'm giving you. Make it count." She turned and trudged down the hall. Julie turned the corner. Tsunade glared at her.

"Jeez, what's with her," she said to no one in particular. "Hey Maj, how are they?"

"Julie," Majesty said, "you need to talk to Elysian."

"Why? Is there a problem?"

Elysian was gloomy and mad. "Damn right there is! You haven't talked to me in two months and never answer my calls or reply to my messages! Do you think that's funny? Is our friendship just a game to you? Did I do something that pissed you off? Or are you just being a pain in the ass bi-?"

"Hey watch your mouth Ely," Majesty interrupted. "She wants to know if you're mad at her or something. This is really making her upset."

"No, ya think?"

"I said be quiet!"

Julie looked at Elysian. "… You cut your hair…"

Majesty and Elysian anime-collapsed. Elysian stood up and loomed angrily over her taller friend. "You just notice that now?! Is that all you're gonna tell me?"

"… I'm… sorry?"

"'Gomen' won't work on me this time, wolf! Try something more honest!"

"… Okay, listen Ely. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you. It's just that I've been so busy lately. My hands are full with the kids I'm teaching and my studies aren't easy. I've been distracted, and I'm really sorry for that, but I can't find the time to do anything besides work and studying."

"Hmph, I don't buy it."

"I've been putting so much effort into Neji and Tenten that it's wearing me out."

(AN: Yeah, I know… That did sound wrong…)

Majesty sighed. "Well this isn't going very well," she mumbled. "Look, I've got to go. I'll see you later. Let me know if you need anything." She turned around and walked away slowly.

Elysian glared at Julie. "If you don't want to be straight-up honest with me, then fine…" She turned away and quietly went to check on Tenten's condition.

Julie was standing in the middle of the hall, shocked and confused. "What was that all about?" She shrugged and went into her study room.

**Ely: MAN I'm so pissed at Julie right now! I'm thinking about getting Maj to call her and tell her that I want to talk to her on the phone at least. And if this is you Jul, WHY DON'T YOU EVER ANSWER ME?!?**


	7. Chapter 7

Love Among Friends

Neji slowly opened his eyes. The room was a bit dark so he wouldn't have to immediately adjust his eyes to bright light. He blinked a couple times before slowly sitting up. He looked around.

"I see you're awake," Elysian said. "Hinata told me that you were recovering quickly. I came to tell you the news. I know that you're gonna take this a bit rough."

"Get on with it," Neji coughed.

Elysian looked down. "Tenten… They're gonna pull the plug…"

"What? She didn't get better?"

"Tsunade gave her an extra day, but it wasn't enough. I'm sorry."

"Take me to her! I have to see Tenten!"

"You should be able to walk by now. I'll take you there, but I warn you, it won't be pretty…" She helped Neji down the hall and into Tenten's room.

"Tenten!" Neji's eyes filled with tears when he saw his teammate. "Dammit. I didn't save her just to let her die!" He pulled away from Elysian and stood at the side of the bed. "She's not ready to go… Not yet…" He took Tenten's hand and kneeled by the bed. He closed his eyes and cried. Elysian felt the strong flow of emotions coming from Neji and winced from the mental pain.

"Neji, please, calm yourself. Your emotions are getting out of control. The restrictions of your seal will kill you."

"I don't care!"

"Neji…" Elysian put her hand on his shoulder. "Do you love her?"

The boy nodded. "More than life itself." He sobbed again. "Oh, Tenten, I'm so sorry…"

"She forgives you… She hears your voice." Elysian ran out of the room. "She hears Neji's voice! She's alive!"

This call brought Tsunade, Hinata, Julie, Sakura, and Majesty into Tenten's room. Sure enough, the Kunoichi's brain activity was rising. Tsunade shook her head in disbelief.

"I never… I mean, this… This is impossible."

"No," Tenten whispered "this is incredible…"

**Ely: Hey, Tenten's a born fighter. I always knew the girl was born to defy the odds.**

**Maj: Has Julie talked to you yet?**

**Ely: Oh, Hell no! Girl won't even answer her damn phone!**

**Maj: Maybe she lost it… **_**Again.**_

**Ely: You know, that is a distinct possibility…**


	8. Chapter 8

Love Among Friends

Tenten heard a knock on her door.

_Who's out walking the streets at this hour that I know?_

She opened the door. Neji threw his arms around Tenten and kissed her cheek.

"What the-? Neji! What are you doing here so late?"

"It's simple," he whispered. "I came to welcome you home…" He pulled Tenten closer and pressed his lips to hers.

Tenten's eyes widened. _Neji's never been like this before… I kind of like him this way… _She closed her eyes and put her arms around Neji.

---

The next day Neji and Tenten didn't train with Lee. Instead, they went walking by shops and talked about a variety of subjects.

"Hey Neji, remember when Elysian beat Naruto in a ramen eating contest last year?"

"I couldn't believe it. Naruto's like a bottomless pit. I guess Elysian just has hollow legs." The two of them laughed. "Speaking of hollow, remember that one time Gai-Sensei's fortune cookie was empty?"

"How could I forget? The look on his face was priceless! Oh, that reminds me, Elysian asked me to tell you how happy she is that we're both all right."

"Everyone's her family, she says. With that mentality, she's impossible to hate. Even Sasuke wouldn't hold a sword to her. And while we're on the subject, I never got to tell you how unbelievably sturdy that katana of yours is. It sliced through that rogue's bones like nothing."

"That's what they all say… Before they _die!_ Haha!" Tenten smiled. "I just remembered something…" She leaned to Neji's ear. "I forgive you Neji…" She giggled. "I felt you there the whole time in the hospital. You never gave up on me. Thank you."

Neji blushed slightly. "What else could I do? I love you. Nothing can make me love you any less. I'll love you till death. Even beyond."

"Aw Neji, that's so sweet. I love you too." Tenten kissed Neji's cheek and took his hand. The two of them continued walking, the autumn leaves blowing around them.

**Ely: Aw, no mush? W0W I wrote this whole story in just a couple hours?!?o0o I must really love this pairing! o0o0o0o0o Well, at least they're together.**

**Neji: Did you really have to make me kiss her right there in the doorway?**

**Ely: No, but I'm stuck on "Fearless" by Taylor Swift. (starts singing) "You stood with me in the doorway. My hands shake, I'm not usually this way. But you pull me in and I'm a little more brave. It's the first kiss. It's flawless, really something…"**

**Tenten: (singing) "It's fearless." I love that song!**

**Neji: (sweatdrop, blush) Will you stop that CHN?!?**

**Ely: … Maybeh…**


End file.
